Música y teatro como armas bélicas: propaganda profernandina en Venezuela durante la Guerra de Independencia española

Abstract

The Peninsular War of 1808-1814 caused much concern in Venezuela. Fearful that the Venezuelan independence movement might take advantage of the situation, the colonial authorities instigated a major propaganda campaign in support of Fernando VII and in which both music and theatre played a signifi cant role. In this paper we will explain how, between 1808 and 1810, the Venezuelan authorities brought works across from the Iberian peninsula. We will also reveal that the works performed
in Venezuela were written not by local artists, as believed up to now, but by writers from the
peninsula. To this end, we will study the political theatre, patriotic songs and religious works that
were performed, with a view to revealing how patriotic song went from being a conspiratorial genre
to a government-sponsored art form.